I wonder if you knew what you left behind.

When I first heard your name escape her lips, I remember the love in her eyes, I remember the excitement in her voice. It was an innocent kind of love. She was quite optimistic, in fact. And in times you were apart, she was counting down the days until you reunited again; it was the kind of romance we all desired.

And I rooted for you, I really did. We had, at one point, even discussed future wedding plans for the two of you. After being hurt so many times before, I was finally happy to recognize she found somebody she loved. I noticed it in the way she said your name, the way she sang her favorite love songs, the way she handled herself.

But I also noticed when the love disappeared, and a sort of eerie glaze appeared in her eyes. I noticed the anger, the endless disappointment, the tear-stained cheeks. I noticed it all. And honestly, it hurt me, too, watching her inevitable downfall from you. I constantly repeated the same advice to her over and over again, a rehearsed stream of words from my mouth that became as routine as a morning commute.

Our expectations for you were set too high. All of her friends, including myself, saw it before she did. We tried to warn her about your actions, or lack thereof. We tried to convince her she could love and be loved by somebody so much better than you. But in the words of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "We accept the love we think we deserve." And sadly, she did not think she could do better than you. She talked about you like you placed the stars in the sky and as if the world was silenced by your voice. But oh, is she ever wrong.

Your actions destroyed the girl I once knew and turned her into someone neither her nor I recognized anymore. She gave you countless more chances than you ever deserved. But her friends stuck by her. We did our jobs. We supported her decisions and caught her whenever she fell. Our beds became smaller as she climbed in to sit with us, crying on our shoulders. We watched more romantic comedies than I knew existed and over-indulged on chocolate and ice cream every weekend.

And I know she will always have a place in her heart for you. But I hope that place will no more long for the desire to be filled with your lies and empty promises. I hope she possesses the ability to move on and find somebody who respects her and her time. I know your face will always pop into her mind when she sees sour gummy worms or German shepherds. Sometimes, her hand will long for the feeling of your fingertips intertwined with hers, and she will continuously playback old videos of you just to hear your laugh. I hope she doesn't look back on these memories with sadness or regret. I hope she is thankful for everything you have taught her, both about relationships and herself. I hope she recognizes all of the great qualities within her - the qualities you failed to acknowledge. I hope she knows you just weren't the right person, and she will find her "Prince Charming" one day.

But for now, she is happier. She is more joyful and radiant than I have ever seen her, and she is doing SO much better without you.